THE JOURNAL BY THE GIRLS AT TRUE&CO

Get Intimate: Melissa Lee

In our previous post we got to know Alicia Henry. This week we take a peek into the life of Melissa Lee, PhD candidate in neuroscience, lover of photography, and creator of Crossing Cues.

What's your dream superpower?

I would love to be able to teleport. I’d save so much time and money! We spend a huge, huge portion of our lives just commuting from one place to another—imagine if we could use that time for something else! I’d be able to travel as much as I wanted—I could spend the day in Belgium and be back in my bed at night. Plus, NYC keeps raising the subway prices! I actually think about this a lot.

What are your two favorite things in the world?

I’m really horrible at “favorite” questions, because identifying something as the very best seems really extreme! Can they both be cats? I love my current cat, Mochi, and my first cat, Misty, deeply.

What's your favorite thing about yourself?

I try really hard to be honest and to think for myself. Obviously, it’s impossible, whether consciously or subconsciously, not to be influenced by others, but I try really hard to approach things calmly, objectively, and rationally. And then I try to use my conclusions as imperatives. That is, if I arrive at a conclusion in a manner that is logically sound, I have to follow that conclusion to its logical end. I have to live the way that I think everybody should live. I think that’s really important.

What are you currently working on?

Lots of things! I’m currently in my third year of my PhD in neuroscience, so mostly that! I’m researching a mouse model of a genetic form of autism and intellectual disability, Fragile X Syndrome. My boyfriend and I are trying to buy an apartment right now (okay, he’s buying, I’m renting) and we have to figure out how to decorate, so I’m attempting a crash course in interior design. And I’m thinking about starting a blog.

What's the last book you read?

I just finished rereading the sixth Harry Potter book! I reread the series at least once a year—I just find them to be endlessly comforting, like I’m wrapping myself in a warm cloak of happy familiarity every time I crack one open again. And the last three books, frankly, feel very relevant right now, post-election. I’ve also just started The City & The City by China Mieville, which I was supposed to read for book club last month but, uh, I didn’t.

What part of your body do you love the most?

This question is harder than it should be, isn’t it? I actually like my hands quite a lot. They’ve accumulated all sorts of little marks and scars throughout the years and my thumbs are disproportionately long when compared to others, but I don’t really mind that at all. Hands are super useful!

What’s your favorite True&Co lingerie?

I love the Bryant Bralette! It’s so comfy. I have tiny boobs, so it’s hard to find bras that fit, and I love that bralettes are popular now.

What's your secret obsession/guilty pleasure?

I have truly horrible taste in music! I mostly listen to Indie Folk/Alternative or classical music, but I also have a deep, deep love for almost anything Top 40. Now that I live in NYC, I’m almost never in a situation where I listen to the radio, as most of my radio listening was done in cars, so I don’t indulge in this as much as I used to. But those songs are just so damn catchy and sing-along-able!

When are you happiest?

I am happiest traveling—when I’m wandering around new, beautiful places and everything feels like a discovery. I love to just wake up (without an alarm clock!), roll out of bed, take my time with breakfast, and just start exploring.